Tag: praise

Author! Author!

On By Charis PsalloIn Mountains, Photography, Sky4 Comments

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Sometimes, when alpenglow lights up the mountains for a few minutes at sunset I want to stand up and applaud, shouting “Author! Author!”

Sometimes I do.

I want to praise the Creator of all this.

I heard of a writer who tried to correct some information about his motivation for the development of a character on a Wikipedia article about himself. Ironically, the corrections he tried to make were “re-corrected” because he – the author – was not recognized as an authority on himself. (A whole other discussion about media and trust could be held here but I shall resist for the moment.)

Yesterday my son  and I were discussing theology as he helped me make dinner.  He thought there was a reason the people who marvelled at the things Jesus said recognized he that taught as one who had authority.

“It’s because he was the author,” my son said, as he mashed the potatoes. “Teachers like the scribes of Jesus’ day, can only propose theories on what they think the author meant, but Jesus spoke with authority because, as the author of the story, he knew what it meant.”

The best way to understand what the author intended is to ask the author. In Hebrews we read that Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the ultimate authority on God’s intentions. Like watching a continuing saga of gigantic proportions the meaning of beginning of the story can only be fully understood in the context of the ending. This takes a brilliant author.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrew 12 NKJV)

In Christ the great mystery of the ages is revealed.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  

And he is the head of the body, the church;

he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1: 17-20)

He speaks as one having authority.

 

 

Luminous Night of the Soul

On By Charis PsalloIn Music, Photography, SkyLeave a comment

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Long before music was sung by a choir,
Long before silver was shaped in the fire,
Long before poets inspired the heart,
You were the Spirit of all that is art.

You give the potter the feel of the clay;
You give the actor the right part to play;
You give the author a story to tell;
You are the prayer in the sound of a bell.

Praise to all lovers who feel your desire!
Praise to all music which soars to inspire!
Praise to the wonders of Thy artistry
Our Divine Spirit, all glory to Thee.

(Charles Anthony Silvestri)

O guiding night!
O night more lovely than the dawn!
O night that has united
the Lover with his beloved,
transforming the beloved in her Lover.

(St. John of the Cross)

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Shine in Our Hearts

On By Charis PsalloIn Photography2 Comments

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For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
(2 Corinthians 4:6 NLT)

I was walking home in darkness that falls too early this time of year. When I stopped to tie my bootlace I realized I was standing under the neighbour’s lamp stand at the end of their driveway. The darker the sky grew the brighter the light grew in  comparison.

Even in dark times our loving Father makes the light to shine in our hearts as we abide in Christ and he indwells us. This is  my first Christmas without my Dad since he is celebrating with Mom and Grandma and Grandpa and the rest of the cloud of witnesses this year. This is also the first Christmas since my husband’s brother passed away. Tears fall easily lately, but even in sorrow there is hope. The mystery hidden for ages is now made known. Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Have you noticed how many Christmas carols are about the light shining in the darkness? One of my favourites is Candlelight Carol by John Rutter. Candlelight, angel light, fire light and star glow.

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Psalm 117

On By Charis PsalloIn Music, Photography, Trees and forests, Water2 Comments

 

lazy lake 2 gold tree dock reflect ch DSC_0188Psalm 117

Praise the Lord

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Praise the Lord, all nations;

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Praise Him, all people.

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For He has bestowed His mercy upon us,

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And the truth of the Lord endures forever.

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Laudate Dominum omnes gentes
Laudate eum, omnes populi
Quoniam confirmata est
Super nos misericordia eius,
Et veritas Domini manet in aeternum.

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Can I Silent Be?

On By Charis PsalloIn Mountains, Photography, Sky, Trees and forests2 Comments

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“Doth not all nature around me praise God?
If I were silent, I should be an exception to the universe.
Doth not the thunder praise Him as it rolls like drums in the march of the God of armies?
Do not the mountains praise Him when the woods upon their summits wave in adoration?
Doth not the lightning write His name in letters of fire?
Hath not the whole earth a voice?

And shall I, can I, silent be?”

– Charles Spurgeon

One Generation After Another

On By Charis PsalloIn Mountains, Photography, Trees and forests6 Comments

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I will lift my praise above everything to You, my God and King!
I will continually bless Your name forever and always.

My praise will never cease—
I will praise You every day;
I will lift up Your name forever.

The Eternal is great and deserves endless praise;
His greatness knows no limit, recognizes no boundary.
No one can measure or comprehend His magnificence.
One generation after another will celebrate Your great works;
they will pass on the story of Your powerful acts to their children.

Your majesty and glorious splendor have captivated me;
I will meditate on Your wonders, sing songs of Your worth.

We confess—there is nothing greater than You, God,
nothing mightier than Your awesome works.
I will tell of Your greatness as long as I have breath.

The news of Your rich goodness is no secret—
Your people love to recall it
and sing songs of joy to celebrate Your righteousness.

Psalm 145

Tell the Story

On By Charis PsalloIn Art, Flowers, Photography10 Comments

tell the story

The stories of God’s provision in our parents’ and grandparents’ lives are a precious inheritance. In the same way our stories not only build faith for our own journey, as we recall  them, they also build a foundation of faith for our children and for their children and for future generations.

My grandchildren ask for stories about their parents, about their grandparents and especially about themselves as babies. I tell them stories when we walk in the woods, when we travel together, when we get ready for bed. They especially want to hear the stories about miracles, about escapes from danger, about noble deeds and about the way God brought everything together to give them life and this precious moment right here, right now.

Do you have a story to tell of God stepping in to your own history?

Has he rescued you, healed you, or freed you from addictions?

Has He spoken to you through a song or an angel or left a gem on your bed?

Has a promise in the Bible caught your attention like a beacon in the dark?

Have you heard his voice in the shower or in the truck or had a dream that came true?

Have you experienced a co-incidence that is too much of a co-incidence to be a co-incidence?

Have you found your soul mate or a loyal friend or the child you were meant to adopt?

Have you walked a hard road and found that God’s grace did keep you and did get you through the valley?

Stories about God are not just for children but for anyone with ears to hear.

Would you tell me about it? I would love to hear.

I’ve told a lot of my stories here, how my paternal grandfather saw Jesus in the barn, how my maternal grandparents were late and missed their boat – the Titanic, how I found my lost keys deep in the forest, how God lifted depression, how I heard Him speak through a bicycle shop advertisement and a dancing prairie chicken, how God did a miracle in our son-in-law’s body and in a lot of other people’s hearts after he was given a 0% chance of surviving flesh-eating disease…

Now it’s your turn. What’s your God story? Just write in the comment box on the bottom. (You may need to click on “leave a comment” under the title first.)

Tell your story.

Listen, dear friends, to God’s truth,
bend your ears to what I tell you.
I’m chewing on the morsel of a proverb;
I’ll let you in on the sweet old truths,
Stories we heard from our fathers,
counsel we learned at our mother’s knee.
We’re not keeping this to ourselves,
we’re passing it along to the next generation—
God’s fame and fortune,
the marvelous things he has done.

He planted a witness in Jacob,
set his Word firmly in Israel,
Then commanded our parents
to teach it to their children
So the next generation would know,
and all the generations to come—
Know the truth and tell the stories
so their children can trust in God.

(Psalm 78 The Message)

A story worth telling: https://charispsallo.wordpress.com/2014/12/13/i-want-my-daddy/

Still There

On By Charis PsalloIn faith, Photography, Sky8 Comments

 

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I heard the children talking.
“The sun has gone behind the clouds,” said one, disappointment in his voice.
“No. The clouds just got in front of it,” said the other. “The sun is still there. Even if we can’t see it, it’s still there, else everything would die.”

We do not mourn as those without hope. God is still there.

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Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
(Habakkuk 3:17,18)